“Man…” he drew slowly, sucking in the thick, sweaty air hanging in the club, “it’s hotter here than it is in New Orleans”.r
As a Swedish transplant that has made The Big Easy his home for decades, Osborne has cultivated a genuine and of down and dirty rock and roll. Much like the city he calls home, his songs often borrow from various and sometimes unlikely influences. On “Burning on the Inside”, Osborne and his formidable rhythm section of Eric Bolivar (drums, vocals) and Carl Dufrene (bass, vocals) used the song's raucous blues lick to take turns improvising before settling into a pleasingly cohesive reggae influenced, Latin tinged coda. Despite the apparent world influences incorporated, Osborne and his band never stray too far from shore, always allowing the song's rock or blues foundation to remain at the forefront.
r
r
On this particular night, collaboration would prove to be the biggest highlight. After working out some thrilling slide guitar solos and treating the crowd to a sweet and pleasing “Meet Me in New Mexico”, replete with additional reggae influence, Osborne happily welcomed local guitarist and vocalist Cris Jacobs to the stage. Having impacted the Baltimore music scene in a profound way as the lead guitarist and vocalist for The Bridge, Jacobs has forged his own impressive path as the leader of his own namesake band of late. His recent album, Songs for Cats and Dogs is an absolute must have for any fan of outstanding local tunes.
r
On this particular evening, it quickly became apparent that Anders and Cris form an intriguing combination. While Osborne is known for distorted blues licks and slide soloing, Jacobs' leads usually offer a more rhythmic and dexterous style. Trading vocal and instrumental riffs for nearly an hour of Osborne's prime set time, both musicians were visibly thrilled. Further expanding the pool of talented performers on the evening, the night also featured a sit in by John “Papa” Gros of New Orleans funk group Papa Grows Funk, appearing armed with a guitar and laughing it up with Osborne.
r
Continuing to carry the torch of uncompromising rock and roll, Anders Osborne plays an important role in today's musical world. Further considering the additional influences he has picked up over a long journey, few rock acts exist with as much distilled talent and style. On this particular evening, attendees were lucky enough to witness this unique combination playing off of the styling of one of the area's best and most loved in Cris Jacobs.
r
Photos courtesy Jordan August
